Rochester Software Associates

This webinar is about one in-plant’s journey to offer the best and easiest work request submittal process for all faculty and staff.

Printing about 4 million offset and digital impressions a year, American Electric Power (AEP) Workplace Services is a busy in-plant. In addition to printing, the shop processes 285,000 pieces of incoming/outgoing mail a year, and oversees the design and order fulfillment of 4,000 company forms.

When Sherri Broderick began as the supervisor of Print/Mail/Sign Services for the Frisco Independent School District in 2002, the district had just 19 schools for the two-employee in-plant to service. But a population boom in the area over the last decade has expanded the district to 61 schools, with four more to be added in the fall of 2015.

It’s been a busy autumn for in-plants around the country. For the second year in a row, the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association has held fall regional meetings, bringing dozens of managers together for a day of networking and education. Recent meetings have taken place in Denver, Muncie, Ind., El Reno, Okla., Sacramento and Nashville, in addition to the gatherings in Harrisburg, Pa., and Baton Rouge, La., already documented in IPG.

It was reassuring to see so many in-plant managers at Graph Expo this year. The Chicago trade show has been drawing the in-plant crowd for years, but managers have generally gone about their business quietly, not making much of a splash. This year, because of the number of in-plant events taking place, they were much more visible.

Over the past few weeks, the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association has held fall regional meetings in Denver, Muncie, Ind., and El Reno, Okla., bringing dozens of managers together for a day of networking and education.

Web-to-print software can open your in-plant's doors to new business. Just ask Mike George, director of General Services for Villanova University. At Graph Expo, he told a crowd of in-plant managers how, after adding RSA's WebCRD, job volume increased dramatically. This year, he said, 46,908 student jobs came through the portal.

I got home from Chicago late Wednesday night after spending four very busy days at Graph Expo. Though flight delays and cancellations tainted nearly everyone's trip (mine included), the show seemed to rebound from this opening irritation. The crowds on the show floor were impressive, even on Sunday, and numerous vendors told me of equipment being sold right off the show floor.

With Graph Expo just days away, industry vendors are making last-minute preparations to get their booths in shape for the thousands of expected visitors. One company that's gone above and beyond in an effort to educate in-plants is Rochester Software Associates (RSA), a provider of production print workflow software solutions.

Ask Michael George what else he might have done with his life had he not become an in-plant manager and his answer comes quickly.